Antorcha de Independencia -revised

It is currently Tuesday 9/15/2009 at 10:39:27 a.m. Costa Rican time. Yesterday I woke up at 6am, went to school, stopped for some delicious ice cream at the lecharia, walked home, finished my homework (of course) then started looking around for that pair of black shorts I was sure I had brought with me. After locating the shorts in my heap of clothes, that I usually don't wear in public, I quickly changed into them. I had a few hours before I had to go to the colegio at 11pm - I spent these hours preparing myself for the upcoming physical trials.

Dan and Emma came over at around 9:30 pm. We arrived at the colegio a few minutes early so we sat around and tried, unsuccessfully for the most part, talking to some of the other youths in Spanish.

We were soon divided into groups of 14 and we chose partners within that group. This was when the director explained what was going to happen. Prior to this speech I knew about as much as you do now about what I had gotten myself into. And after the director's talk I knew only a little more because it was in very rapid Spanish.



Luckily my friend was translating the parts I didn't get.

The plan was to take 47 students in two buses 55k to the Pan-American Highway, a 1.5 hour journey by bus, to meet the main torch representing the liberation of all Central America from Spain. From that torch we would light our own torch to be run back to Santa Elena.

When the group behind came running up with the torch we would take the torch and continue the charge and after handing the torch off to the next runner we would we would run as part of the entourage for two more Ks. After we ran our 3k we would wait until the bus came around then run and jump on as it struggled up the mountain - so it didn't have to stop and lose momentum. Running was difficult but also rewarding.

Whenever we passed a town or a school the people would come out and get their own torch lit and cheer and wave around bottles of liquor.

Most runners ran 4 times. For reasons I never knew, at the end you had to run 6k before getting back on the bus - had I understood that I would have never gotten off the bus that last time.

At around 8:30am we arrived in Santa Elena at the gymnacio where most of the local population had gathered to sing the Costa Rican national anthem and other patriotic music.

After this 30 minute break we lit yet another torch and all the MFS students ran the 4k up the mountain to the school. Once we arrived at the school we sang liberty and peace songs in Spanish - the songs were led by Tim Curtis.

Then I thought I was going to have to walk the 3k back to my house, but lucky for me my friend's father is a taxi driver so we all got rides to our roads.

A day in the life of an 11th grade student at Monteverde Friends School.

curtisjsampson@gmail.com